Book review: Theology

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Theo on Ortiz

NECN.com has a video interview with Theo Epstein and his thoughts on the allegations of Ortiz's name being on 'The List,' as well as video interviews with his teammates. Theo says that Ortiz has the full support of the Red Sox.

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Let's Make a Deal

Does Red Sox whole world lie waiting behind door #3? With teams making deals as the deadline quickly approaches, Theo has been awfully quiet. There were the comments made to Fox about the possibility of trading Manny but I don't see that right now. I think Theo was just sending a message to Manny and Boras that the left fielder had better be a team player on an off the field if he is going to return.

The '08 team has most of the players from the '07 champion team so you have to ask: why make a change? There are some players struggling right now like Tek, Ellsbury, Crisp, and most of the bullpen but there is no reason why they should not be able to bounce back. Theo wants to keep the prospects for the long term and not go after a pricey free agent. When you look at what is out there it is hard to find much that will help the Sox in the short term for the price they are willing to spend.

We only have 2 games to judge the Masterson bullpen experiment but the last one did not go well. The Sox do not have the luxury of a wait and see attitude towards Masterson because the deadline is just 4 days away.

Look for Boston to get some bullpen help but not make a major deal before the deadline. One possible target is Will Ohman of the Atlanta Braves.

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Something big is going to happen

I can just feel it. Can you feel it? With Aardsma going on the DL, and the rest of the middle relief guys having rollercoaster seasons, I have this feeling that Theo is going to do something big and unexpected. There are only 10 days left before the trade deadline, and let's face it, Hansen, Delcarmen, Okajima, Timlin, and Lopez are not having the seasons they had last year. They've been surprisingly sub-par for most of the season. They've had their good moments, no doubt, but as a whole, they've been disappointing.

Theo is up to something, I just know it.

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Theo's "Red Sox Way"

Jeff Goldberg in today's Hartford Courant looks back at what brought the Sox to their winning ways.

His article reminds Sox fans of some of the tough decisions that Theo made, parting ways with Pedro, Derek Lowe, and Orlando Cabrera. How many Sox fans thought moving Nomar was a good idea? Goldberg makes a good point that many Sox fans and the media focused on the players that struggled to replace them, Clement and Renteria. Meanwhile, the Sox were drafting extremely well and developing young talent.

Theo told Goldberg, "the only way to appease the perception police is to think short term. That gets you nowhere. We never want to back away from a difficult decision or taking a chance. ... If you're a slave to perception, you'll be scared of your shadow around here."

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Theo Still Interested in Bobby Kielty

The backup outfielder who filled in nicely when injuries hit late in the season may be back. The Red Sox need a backup outfielder, especially if they are planning on dealing Coco for a catcher or pitcher. Kielty had a good game in the ALCS and hit a big home run in game 4 of the World Series. Theo mentioned that Boston is still interested in Bobby Kielty during a conference call last week. He spent a portion of last year on the Oakland A's before coming to the Red Sox but was sidelined with knee problems. He is a switch hitter and is a solid option off of the bench.

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Hang With Theo and Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard

Don't forget to listen to WEEI this morning....I'll still be in bed on the West Coast but some of you East Coasters will have a chance to win an auction for a good cause. This is from Pearl Jam's website :
"Tomorrow morning, November 20th (between 6am - 10 am EDT), WEEI Boston, is doing a live on air auction for HDSA. They are auctioning only one exclusive package. To some, this may be the opportunity of a lifetime ... We are talking about the chance for you and a guest to hang out with Theo Epstein (young Red Sox GM extraordinaire) and Stone Gossard (need we say more). This experience with these two gents will include dinner, a tour of Fenway, and a Red Sox game watched from the manager's box.

For any Sox fan, this would be a very exciting night. Throw in a love of Pearl Jam and what more could you want? Well, actually a chance to hang with Red Sox management might be more of a boon to a Yankees fan, but we are pretty sure Theo can handle it."

The link to WEEI is on the right side of the page. Happy bidding.

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